Rake construction



E. L. BELL June 24, 1930.

RAKE CONSTRUCTI ON Filed Nov. 29, 1927 v/ll INVENTOR F/PW/fl/ 4. .EELL

ATTORNEY Patented June 24, 1930 r UNITED V STATES PATENT GFFICE Application filed. November 29, 1927. Serial No. 236,514.

This invention relates to rakes and similar Referring to the drawings, the rake head toothed implements, and is more particu-' 1 1s of conventlonal form providing a series larly concerned with and has for its object of depending curved teeth or tines 2, the the provision of a construction which not head being ]O1Il8d to the supportlng handle 3 5 only facilitates the collection of matter by by means of yoke arms 4 which may be in- 55 the rake, but functions effectively to clear tegral wlth or rigidlysecured to the opitsteeth or tines of matter adhering to Or POSItBTGIIIILdS oilthefhelad 1n kany su table liganimpaled thereon. ner. e en s o t e yo e are nserte 1n Rake clearers or cleaners as heretofore sockets 1n the end of the supportlng handle proposed and constructed have functioned 3 in the usual manne (looperating with so to; clear the teeth or tines of matter wedged the teeth 2 of the ralge head are a plurality between or impaled on the tines and have not of clear ng bars 5 which have the additlonal participated or aided in the raking operafunctioiiof fpllovlvlerst etiligfiging1 and lciompacig tion. 1 mg ma BT13 co ec e y t e ra e teet 15 The construction of the present invention tendlngr t1? retalln the matefriitll 111 miss forma- 65 not only has this dual function but comti n. se 0 earm or o ower are 5 are bines this with simplicity of striicture and nv nlently f rmed Qf rod stock. One end arrangement providing economy both in maof each of the bars 1s flattened as at 6, the terial and labor in its manufacture and apfiattehed ends of he b rs being assembled plication. Furthermore, the construction and p l y ed b tween the side Walls provides the advantage of compactness, since 7 Of a bracket p e 01 mount by means of the size of the rake head is not appreciably conknponl glVOtlitlfllld 8. 'ihe base iii-012i increa d th reb rac e p a e w 10 as s own 1s a u These and oth er features and advantages W h vi usly may be,- if desired, clirved of the invention will be apparent from the to conform to the contour of t e snpportmg 75 following detaileg. skpecification whendread g g? 3, 1 0 secured f e under 51%}? offthe in connection wit t e accom an in rawam y means 0 Q 'G S 0 l ing forming art th of dPi z hiih; teneil'ls lnsertegbthroulgh 1ts base plate intcji Figure l is a perspective View of the head the andle- VIQIIS y, he ar 3 when 0 of a hand'rake having the de i f th rounded contour, 1s flattened to provlde a so present invention attached thereto, and posibeefing t plate The bars 5 from their tioned in its normal or initial relation to the l 'Y t 16n 1111I l h downvgardlloy rake teeth and'grbund an PI'OVl 6 p01 1011s W 10 BX 611 S 11 Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the 3 Pa W he supportlng 35 pivotal mount for the ends of the follower h h fi lhfi the g u i t i t and teeth clearin bars b means of which 19 m user 3 P 10113 a 9 they are attached to the i mder side of the follower po of the bars e t th rake handle or other rake carrying bar. f h a between Successive 1 h teet t ereo wit t v e1r ends bent upwardly 40 1 5 532: 3 5 22 35; g 335;? igs? 2% as at 11 and thence backwardly as at 12 over the follower and clearing bars. i top of the rake d h end extremi 4: t V 0 tles 13 of the bars at this polnt are flattened lgure i ii f and provide alined apertures through-which eltlmged 6 ta en on 9 me 9 a transverse bar 14 extends to join the series 5 Flgurre of bars 5 together as a unit. This bar 14 The construction of the present nventlon may be Qf rod stock and is permanently held P y be regarded as, a rake P and 811169 on the series of bars by any suitable means, 1t y be PP to StandaFd? forms of such for example, as by flattening the ends toothed rakes, may also be considered as an as h Th rearwardly t di d 7 50 attachment. portions '12 of these bars act as abutments limiting the downward movement of these follower portions so that they are positioned in a plane above the plane of the lower ends of the rake teeth 2 and in a plane which is approximately parallel with the ground and with the support bar or handleS as shown.

These series of bars 5 as thus constructed and joined by the transverse bar 14 constitute a clearing rack by means of which matter wedged between or impaled upon the rake teeth may be forced or cleared therefrom, and has the additional function of a follower rack since the said portions 10 will rest by gravity upon matter collected by the rake teeth and tend to compact and hold it in mass formation. Obviously, the series of bars 5 are mounted as to normally drop by gravity to the position suggested in Figure 1, in which their follower portions 10 are positioned by the upper ends 12 of the bars above the ground and above the plane of the ends of the rake teeth. Consequently as the mass of matter collected by the rake teeth increases in bulk and rises, the follower bar portions l0are forced upwardly with the increase in mass, pressing down upon the 7 mass and tending to compact it andv maintain it in mass formation. Any matter wedged between the teeth or impaled thereon when the collected matter reaches its maximum size will be either stripped or cleared from the teeth by the weight of the rake bars, or may be forcibly cleared therefrom by pressure of the upper joined end of these bars applied byreversing the rake and pressing. the upper end of the clearing bars against the ground or other abutment.

This clearing rack with its mount or supporting bracket may be made to fit standard sizes and forms of rake heads and sold as an attachment for said rake heads, or may be mounted upon and combined with the rake head in its initial manufacture. Since the bars tend by gravity normally to-swing' is not appreciably increased and a compact structureis provided which may be easily stored without requiring unusual space such as will be'required if the rake were normally projected above the top of the rake head. r V "While the form of the invention disclosed I 'is'a preferable one, it is intended as illustrative and not restrictive ofthe invention.

Consequently it will be understood that the structure maybe varied and adapted to differ'ent operating conditions and rake structures in consonance with the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. l 7; Y

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters; Patent is: 1.'Ina rake having a supporting handle and a toothedhead, a plurality offollower bars pivotally mounted at their rear ends on the supporting handle and extending forwardly therefrom and normally moved downwardly by gravity to overlie, engage and compact matter collected by said teeth, said bars arising in response to upward pressure due to increase in mass of the matter collected by said teethwith meansfor limiting downward movement of said follower bars relatively to the head. r

2. In a rake having a supporting handle and a toothed head, a plurality of follower and clearing bars pivotally mounted at their rear endson the supporting handle and extending forwardly therefrom between the teeth 7 of said head and normally moved downwardly, by gravity, to overlie, rest on and a toothed head, a plurality of follower -95 and clearing bars pivotally mounted at'their rear ends on said handle and extending forwardly therefrom to between the teeth of said head and normally moved downwardly by gravity to over1ie,'rest upon and compact matter as collected by the teeth of said head and rising in response toupward pressure of increase in mass of said collected matter, said bars having extensions upstanding from their forward ends to overlie and engage the toothed head and limit the downward gravity effected movement of said bars to a point above thejlower ends of the teeth of said'rake head.

4c. As an article ofmanufacture, anv attachment for toothed rake heads having supporting handles comprising a series of follower bars havlng their rear ends pivotally mounted for free swinging movement in a bracket member attachable to the underside of the rake handle and having forwardly eXteIlded P i ns spread outwardly fanwise to extendbetween- "adjacent teeth of the rake: head and provided attheirforward ends with upwardly and laterally turned extensionsoverlying the top of the V rake head to abut the same andlimit down swingingmovement of the follower bars 5,.As an article of manufacture, an attachment for toothed rake heads having sup porting handles comprising a series of follower bars having their rear ends pivotally mounted for free swinging movement in a bracket member attachable to l of the rake handle and having forwardly extended portions spread outwardly fan wise to extend between adj acent teethofthe rake head and provided at their forwardfends w1th upwardly and laterally turned exten- SlOIlS overlying the top of the rake head'to a under Si 1 abut the same and limit down swinging movement of the follower bars, and a brace bar across connecting and joining the laterally turned ends of said bar extensions for movement of said bars in unison.

Signed at Lebanon, in the County of Wilson and State of Tennessee, this 26th day of November, A. D. nineteen hundred twenty-seven.

ERWIN L. BELL. 

